SPARTA — When asked where his team goes from a sloppy 44-33 victory over Mount Gilead on Friday night, Highland High School boys basketball coach Mike Hoyng offered a quick and short response.
“We’re going to practice tomorrow,” he said.
The Scots picked up a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference victory over the Indians, but it was anything but easy or pretty. Despite holding Mount Gilead to 11-of-49 shooting from the field and taking a 33-18 lead into the fourth period, Highland nearly gave the game away in the final eight minutes.
Mount Gilead went on a 13-4 run, cutting the Scot lead to 37-31, before Zach Hilborn hit a 3-pointer with 2:43 left to swing the momentum back into Highland’s favor. The Indians never seriously threatened again.
“Our kids feed off the 3,” said Hoyng, whose team finished 5-of-20 from beyond the arc. “We’ve got a lot of kids who can shoot the 3. We needed a shot in the arm, and Zach hit a big shot for us, which was great.”
In the first half, the Highland defense controlled the game, even when the offense struggled. The Indians finished with just seven points and didn’t hit a field goal after the 3:06 mark in the first quarter.
The Scots played with an intensity in the first half that was missing in the second half, Hoyng said.
“When they shot, we rebounded,” he said. For the game, Highland outrebounded the Indians 41-28.
“We did a great job of boxing out in the first half,” Hoyng continued. “Your defense picks up when you can limit teams to one shot. Secondly, our kids were really down in a stance and worked hard.”
The second half was a different story with Mount Gilead fighting for loose balls and accumulating second-chance points. Hoyng credited the Indians for their effort to get back in the game
“They came out with a lot more energy than we did,” he said. “When you’re in the situation we were in tonight, we’ve got to just take over and do our jobs better.”
A key to Mount Gilead’s comeback was Highland turnovers. The Scots finished with 20 for the game, 12 of which were steals that often translated into fastbreak points for the Indians.
“Once you give a team a little life, you’re going to struggle at times,” Hoyng said. “And we kind of did, and I think that effected how we played our offense.
“For our team, that’s something we can’t be satisfied with,” he added. “We’ve just got to be much better taking care of the ball.”
Brandon Geiger led the Scot offense with 10 points. Ethan Godfrey followed with six points and three rebounds. Ryan Barnett, Justin Howard and Zach Messmer each added five points. Wayde Looker scored four points, while Hilborn finished with three points and six rebounds. Steven Stooksbury contributed two points and a team-leading nine rebounds.
Chris Carver and Jonathan Wisten led the Indians with eight points apiece. Trent Bostic added seven.
The junior varsity game was a nail-biter, heading to double-overtime before Highland pulled out the 54-51 win. Kyle Davies led the Scots with 13 points, while Cody Morr posted 11. Ethan Zuber added 10 points.
Highland is back in action Thursday, traveling to Elgin for another MOAC contest.
